Estimation of effects of process customization

Abstract

A computer program product estimates effects of modifications to a process. The computer program product includes a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method. The method includes determining first differences between a graphical representation of a first modified process and a base process having been modified by the modified process, comparing the first differences with second differences between a graphical representation of at least one second modified process and the base process, and estimating a first effect of the first differences relative to the base process based on a similarity between the first differences and the second differences and based on at least one second effect of the second differences relative to the base process, the at least one second effect stored, and associated with the second differences in memory.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer program product for estimating effects of modifications to a process, the computer program product comprising:
 a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising:   determining, by a processor, first differences between a graphical representation of a first modified process and a base process having been modified by the modified process;   comparing, by the processor, the first differences with second differences between a graphical representation of at least one second modified process and the base process; and   estimating a first effect of the first differences relative to the base process based on a similarity between the first differences and the second differences and based on at least one second effect of the second differences relative to the base process, the at least one second effect stored and associated with the second differences in memory.   
     
     
         2 . The computer program product of  claim 1 , wherein the second differences comprise semantic data associated in memory with nodes of the at least one second modified process. 
     
     
         3 . The computer program product of  claim 1 , wherein comparing the first differences with the second differences includes comparing a graphical representation of a structure of the first modified process including the first differences with a graphical representation a structure of the at least one second modified process including the second differences. 
     
     
         4 . The computer program product of  claim 1 , wherein comparing the first differences with the second differences includes comparing semantic characteristics of the first modified process including the first differences with semantic characteristics of the at least one second modified process including the second differences. 
     
     
         5 . The computer program product of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one second effect includes one or more of a financial effect, a temporal effect, and a measure of complexity. 
     
     
         6 . The computer program product of  claim 1 , the method further comprising:
 receiving, by the processor, data corresponding to the base process and at least one desired effect;   comparing the at least one desired effect to the at least one second effect stored in memory; and   identifying one or more second modified processes corresponding to the base process and being most-related to the at least one desired effect.